Dole queues lengthen as lines at the tills shorten

Nearly 280,000 Britons will be on the dole for the second Christmas in a row

Nearly 280,000 Britons will be on the dole for the second Christmas in a row this year, according to the TUC.

The trades union body said that the number of long-term claimants over the Christmas period had more than doubled from 122,000 in 2007. Last Christmas, 243,000 people had been out of work for at least a year.

The London Borough of Hounslow has experienced the sharpest increase in the country.

Brendan Barber, TUC General Secretary, said: “As the dole queues mount, the Government’s response has been to brand many of those struggling for work as scroungers. The TUC is calling on ministers to make a fresh start in 2012 and focus on tackling our mounting jobs crisis.”